


Moments in Ithaka

by foreden



Series: Ithaka [2]
Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, F/M, Female Shindou Hikaru
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 01:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17152358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreden/pseuds/foreden
Summary: Drabbles set in Reaching Ithaka's universe.





	1. Moments in Ithaka

When Touya Akira and Shindou Hikaru first meet, there are no sparks, fireworks, or heart racing moments where thoughts of love, marriage, and forever more plagued the mind. In reality, the meeting between the two teenagers was brief and short, uneventful if anything else. A polite introduction had been made, a slight nod was given in acknowledgement before the whirlwind that was Hikaru left the Touya residence as the 4-dan entered, returning home after a tiring four day trip to Hokkaido.

The few encounters following the first had been equally as ordinary as the last. Each meeting came as something short, rushed, and fleeting. It was not until Hikaru and Akira found them sitting across from one another, a carefully crafted spruce goban placed between them did the two go players finally look and see. Grey eyes brightly burned into the depths of blue orbs, challenging him and consuming him until he knew nothing but her.

Suddenly, it was more than go that they were playing.

Akira never felt anything like this before. He became drunk off the sight of her: dark brown hair with sunlit streaks, pouty lips with a hint of peach gloss, long lashes and rosy cheeks. Something stirred with him and then all he wanted to do was touch her, to feel how soft her unblemished skin was, to let his fingers spin circles through her silky locks and then to hold her and never let go.

Hikaru felt her body grow hot and cold the moment that Akira's hand brushed against her skin. Thinking became too hard to do. The tips of his fingers moved on her like butterfly wings, fluttering gently from her face to her neck, hair, lips, heart until she knew she had to stop him before he dominated her entirely.

She needed to consume him before he consumed her.

Hikaru took the wandering hand into her own. Her pink and white manicured nails flirted on his wrist, running circles around his lifeline and pulse. Her misty eyes were determined; her smile dazzled him completely. He was dizzy and breathless and all so very drunk on her.

She bewitched him entirely.

"I have lost."

The lull of his voice and the faintest touch of his lips to her hand made Hikaru realize that she had as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been getting a lot of questions asking about the continuation of Reaching Ithaka. I must admit that I am still horrible road blocked on it. I have started the continuation, scrapped it, and started all over again many many times and still have nothing to show for it. Thus I decided to just post some of the tidbits that I wrote for it that is in that universe, but doesn't necessarily mean that it's really what is going to happen in the next part of the story.


	2. How Ko Yongha and Shindou Hikaru were matched against each other in the North Star Tournament

"She's cute," was Ko Yongha's shameless explanation about why he wanted to play second board against Japan at the second official North Star Tournament, much to the distress of his fellow teammates and coach.

Hon Su-yong couldn't help but roll his eyes at his fellow teammate's shenanigans. Last year, Yongha caused some drama when an interview he gave was misunderstood and caused many to be upset. This year, changing boards would be interpreted it as a complete snub on Japan, especially with the Akira-Yongha rematch being the talked about game of the event.

"Could you not stir up any trouble for once?" Su-yong moaned. He could already see how poorly this was going to go. Even so, he was going to have to try anyways.

"Didn't you say you wanted to play Touya Akira?" Yongha countered. There was a resolve in his voice that made everyone in the room groan.

"I want to play Hikaru as well!"

"Oh? Hikaru, huh?"

From the other side of the room, An Tenson, Korea's coach, was rubbing his temple, trying to relieve himself of the impending headache.

Touya Akira was looking like a grump; Yongha observed the Japanese pro sulking on the other side of the room. He couldn't help but be amused by the daggers the other teen was glaring at him since it had been announced that Yongha would not be playing First Board. This now pitted Touya against Su-yong and he against Hikaru.

Yongha had been looking forward to the match immensely. Though he did mention to his teammates that he wanted to play Hikaru because of her looks, he was actually intrigued by Shindou Hikaru. Two years ago, he had the honor of playing against Touya senior. The respected former professional had compared him to his son but fondly mentioned his female student as well.

Since he had played the son, it was fitting to move on to the "daughter".

"Though Akira-san really wanted a rematch," Hikaru spoke to him in passing. "I'm quite glad you're my opponent."

He took note of the way her lips quirked and her eyes burn brightly with determination.

"Your words about Shusaku last year… they made me very upset."

It had been Shindou's victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested by a fan.


	3. Where Touya Kouyo Meets Shindou Masao

Touya Kouyo did not like Shindou Masao. There was a lot to be said about a young girl who seemed to be striving for the attention of a male figure in her life. At first, Kouyo had thought that Hikaru's father had passed away but as time went by, he had realized that he was alive but mostly absent. From what he had gathered, the Shindou-san was constantly working and spent little time trying to get to know his daughter.

That was why it had been a surprise to Kouyo when Masao entered the discussion room at Hikaru's Beginning Dan exhibition game. The man arrived as stiff lines and a sharp, brief greeting before taking a seat at a table where Kouyo wasn't quite sure if you could even see the screen from.

He pushes his attention back to the game Hikaru was playing against Ogata, his eyes inadvertently turning to the form glued to his smartphone. This lack of engagement and interest makes everything click: Hikaru's eagerness to please, the way she seems to blossom from affection and praise, her want to share her experiences with him. It's everything she's ever wanted from her father but did not receive.

It breaks his heart. Kouyo cannot imagine not having those moments with Akira. Parenting has been his biggest accomplishment in life – there was no greater gift to him than Akira. He holds the memories he has of his son dear to him and cannot fathom what must run in Shindou Masao's mind when he chooses to distance himself from his daughter.

Something in him nearly snaps when, after twenty minutes, Shindou Masao makes his leave before the game is over. Kouyo attempts to dissuade him otherwise but the business man clearly has his mind made up and makes a hasty retreat.

There is a burning fury that sweeps through him. Kouyo wants to drag Masao back in the room and tell him to just sit there and wait. To see his daughter and at least tell her she did a good job or to let her know he was watching and that he sees her.

He doesn't do it. Instead, he stops, takes a deep breath, and pushes the anger out of him. There was little control he had over the situation with Hikaru and her father. The only control he truly had was over him, and right now he had a game he needed to watch and a girl he needed to either praise or comfort at the end of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be reverse actually – I meant to write about Shindou Masao getting introduced to Touya Kouyo at the exhibition match but I just couldn't get the flow quite right – I guess I just have a lot more practice writing in Touya-sensei's POV.
> 
> Pretty much Hikaru's father comes but he feels awkward. He understands how he hasn't been in Hikaru's life and rather than try to fix it, he just retreats – especially after hearing some of the Go players tease Touya-sensei about his precious "daughter". In the end, he loses Hikaru even more from his cowardliness but thankfully, Touya-sensei is willing to pick up the slack.


	4. Lost in Translation

They don't quite know how to communicate with one another but they try anyways. Her English is broken and he can't understand any of the Japanese she speaks when she reverts out of English. They end up relying a lot of hand gestures and sheer will as a means for communication.

She plays his tour guide for the two free days he has in Japan. She's pulling him down alleyways, into shops, to hidden good luck temples as she attempts to explain to him about the history of things (and fails miserably as she keeps stumbling over her words in English, but he doesn't mind). She's taken to grabbing his hand and there's a tingle where their fingers are entwine.

Mostly, the two of them laugh a lot. It's the first time in awhile where he doesn't think about Go. It's a bit refreshing. Instead he's just a teenager just flirting with a cute girl.

She pulls him into another shop before he knows it and there's kanji written on the walls and a table near the side that she indicates for him to sit at. The smell of the place is amazing and she doesn't even ask as she orders for him to the waitress.

It doesn't take much time until two bowls of hot ramen get placed in front of them.

He follows her lead and digs in.

* * *

He has to leave before he's ready. If he could, he would stay another week here with Hikaru, seeing Tokyo the way she sees it and just passing the days holding hands and eating a lot of junk food.

He was only scheduled for a week in Japan though. Hikaru is a bit forlorn as they way their goodbyes. She tells him to email her, though they know that's probably going to be even more difficult means of communication than the past few days.

He hugs her tight though. If only she was in Korea, or if he was in Japan…

He leans over and gives her a kiss on the lips. A sweet, soft kiss and his memory of her was how beautiful she looked with her cheeks painted pink.

* * *

Learning Japanese wasn't as difficult as Yeongha thought it was to be. He's able to pick up new things fast when he wants to he's determined to be able to speak to her the next time he saw her.

He drags Hon Suyon along with him to night classes and forces him to learn Japanese so he would have someone to talk to. Hon grumbles, but they become proficient together.

* * *

When he's finally back in Japan, he's prepared. His Japanese vocabulary was steadily increasing and he knows enough to carry a decent conversation.

They meet again at the cafe they first met at. They stare at each other and both say hello to one another - in each other's respective language. She laughs at him, her eyes shining brightly.

"Japanese please, I have a lot more faith in you than I do myself."

He reaches over to grab her hand.

"I like you." He confesses clearly.

She turns that lovely shade of pink again that he likes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just a tidbit of a sweet summer fling Yeongha and Hikaru have. I wanted it to be a longer piece, but I think at the same time, this is enough.


	5. Aftermath

Living post Sai was miserable. Sai had seen the world as a marvel. He had been amazed by the modern times and looked at the world with such delight and childishness that was infectious. The world was more monochrome without him next to her. There was a hole in her from his disappearance, she was unsure if it would ever mend and if she could ever feel better.

Everything reminded her of Sai and she wasn't sure if her heart could take it. All she ever did now was cry and wish the world to fade away. After telling Touya-sensei about Sai's disappearance, she had not seen him since then even though the ex-professional called regularly to check up on her.

She refused to pick up his phone calls. Go and Touya-sensei were her biggest reminders of Sai. She could see the flicker of another voicemail arrive in her inbox and she buried herself deeper under the covers of her bed, tears welling up in her eyes.

She couldn't help but wonder when was she ever going to feel normal again.

"Auntie tells me you've been staying in your room all the days." She can feel the gentle caress of a hand on her hair, the gentleness of her cousin's voice. "She told me your Go teacher has been very worried about you."

"Ru-chan, you're making everyone worry." He brushed her bangs back behind her ear. "What makes you sad? Is it a boy? Do I need to do something to him?"

He brushes a tear that falls down her face.

"Ru-chan, where are you? What makes you so sad."

She closes her eyes as he pats her head.

"Nii-chan, don't ever leave me."

"I would never leave you."

She lets herself drift away with his words.

* * *

Her cousin comes over for the rest of the week to make sure she's okay and as the day goes by, things start to hurt less. Her cousin tells her about tennis practice, about a new freshman that made it on the team and she can feel her tears dry up and the ache in her begins to numb.

She returns back to Touya-sensei's house, two weeks after. She could see how relieved both Touya-sensei and Akiko-san are when she arrives at their doorstep. Touya-sensei asks her if she wants to play go with him but she refuses, she's not ready for that yet. Instead, she tells them a bit about school and tennis practice. About how her cousin has been using her as a model for his photography class and they listen and don't mention Go to her again.

* * *

Two months after Sai disappears is when Hikaru meets Akira. The boy reminds me of his father, serious of an expression on his face. But then there is something in his eyes as he breaks the avoiding go subject status quo and asks her for a match.

She bites her bottom lip and tries to say no but all she could remember was Sai's wistful wish of seeing her play against Akira-kun since he had wanted her to see what it felt like to have a rival.

"I feel as though if Touya-sensei and I were destined to meet one another, that you and Akira-kun may be destiny as well."

She agrees. As they play against one another, she can see Touya-sensei and Sai inside their respective Go and realizes that Sai will always be in her.

She hadn't lost him yet.

He will always live on in her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This drabble at least is more along the Reaching Ithaka canon. Also recovered from my archive of attempts to write a sequel throughout these many years.


End file.
